Improvement in railroad-car roofs



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No. 221,142. Patented Nov. 4, 1 8 79.

UNITED TATEs 5 HLRAM ALDRIDGE, or CHICAGO, iLLruoIs'.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAlLROAD-CA-R ROOFS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221, [42, dated November 4, 1879; application filed January 31, 1879. I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,-HIRAM ALDRIDGE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Roofs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure' 1 is a perspective view of a car-roof constructed in accordance with. my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation and partial longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is also a partial longitudinal section in the line of the center of the ridge-pole of the car-roof. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of apart of the roof in the line of the fuming-blocks; and Fig. 5 is a similar section, but out of the line of the furring-blocks.

My present invention is designed to overcome a difficulty experienced with car-roofs which are provided with metal sheets or plates for prevention of leakage, and with drip-passages at the cave ends and edges of such plates as are at the ends of the car, for conducting the drip-water beyond the range of the sides and ends of the car. 7

p The difficulty experienced is this: The sheets, not being punctured with nails or screw-holes for the insertion of fastenin gs for holding them in position, are necessarily retained in position by means of clamps, which press upon them and tend to prevent their slipping by one another in the use of the car on railroads. This clamping action, however, in time becomes partially relaxed and the sheets slide and close the drip-passages, and thus the water is prevented from escaping on a plane which is out of the range of the sides and ends of the car, and the drip-water saturates the boards, and in time the roofing and other wood-work of the car rots, and serious loss is incurred. Besides this, leakage at the upper ridge of the car may be experienced on account of the slipping of the sheets, and thus damage to the contents of the car ensue.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in the combination, in a ear-roof, with metal sheets confined in position by the outer covering or sheathing, and left free to yield to extraordinary strains or to expansion and con-. traction, of furring-stops arranged in the drippassages and outside the range of the sides or ends of the ear-body to prevent said sheets sliding on the roof and closing said passages; second, in the ridge-pole .rabbeted flush with thebase of the notched portion of the furringblocks and with the top surface of the purlins and carlings,in combination with metal sheets, which are clamped in position and left free to slide under extraordinary strains, or when contracted or expanded, and with furringblocks, deck'boards, running-board, and the outside plate of the car; third, in the runningboard lined with metal or other water-shed ding material on its under side, in combina tion with the deck-boards, ridge-pole, furrin g blocks, metal sheets which are clamped in position and left free to slide under extraordinary strains, or when expanded and contracted, and with the frame-work having an outside plate, as hereinafter described.

'In the accompanying drawings, A is the sheathing of the body of the car; B, the pur lins, and O the carlings, of the roof. D indicates the frieze-boards; E, the outside plates; F, the drip-passages between the plates and the frieze-boards; G, the ridge-pole; H, the running-board, with metal lining I under its bottom; J, the deckboards; K, the corrugated or other description of metal sheets, and L the furring-blocks.

The ridge-pole G is rabbeted on .each edge at top, as shown at g, the rabbets being of a depth which brings their bases on a line with the top surfaces of the purlins and carlin gs of the roof. The furring-blocks are properly spaced in the drip-passages F, and their highest part comes up flush with the top of the outside plates,

E, and their notched portion, which forms a stop, f, is on a plane with the top surface of the purlins and carlings, and with the base of the rabbets g. The notches which are cut in the furring-blocks in order to form the stops f are of a size about equal to half the width of the drip-passages F, and therefore it will be seen that the stops occupy a position about midway of the said passages.

It will be seen from the drawings that the corrugated metal sheets are first placed upon the purlins and carlings of the roof with their ridge ends resting in the rabbets g of the ridgeplate, and their eave ends resting against the stops f of the furring blocks L. The metal plates thus applied will have tllGlLOLVQ ends extending about half-way over the drip-passage, as shown. The deck-boards are next applied so that their ridge ends abut and their eave ends overhang the outside plates, E, and they are screwed down to the ridge-pole and the plate, as represented. The metal lining is next placed over the joints between the ridge ends of the deck-boards, and the running-board screwed down upon the same and to the ridgepole, as shown.

At the forward and rear ends of the carfurring-blocks and drip-spaces are in like manner provided for the edges of the end-finishing sheets of the car-roof. The parts thus united will all retain their position, and the sheets will be prevented from slipping either endwise or sidewise entirely over the drip-passages by the stops of the furriug-blocks, and thus a car-roof which does not have its sheets or plates which are used for prevention of leakage punctured to receive fastening-s is produced, in which the escape of the drip-water is insured.

What I claim is 1. In a car-roof, the combination, with metal sheets confined in position by the outer sheath ing and left free to yield when expanded or contracted or subjected to extraordinary strains, of stops arranged in the drip-passages and outside the range of the sides or ends of the car-body to prevent said sheets from closing said passages, substantially as described.

2. The ridgepole rabbeted flush with the base of the notched portion of the furringblocks, and with the top surface of the purlins and carliings in combination with metal sheets, which are clamped in position and left free to slide under extraordinary strains or from other causes, fuming-blocks, deck-boards, runnin g-board, and outside plate substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The running-board lined with metal on its bottom, in combination with the deck-boards, ridge-pole, metal sheets, which are clamped in position and left free to slide under extraordinary strains or from other causes, furringblocks, and frame-work with outsideplate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

HIRAM ALDR IDGE.

In presence ot'- Tnos. Conn, Gno. R. THOMSON. 

